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EU Film fest draws to a close

Featuring over a dozen films revolving around themes ranging from the raw grit of a young Pakistani woman defending her home to the chaos of Latvian independence, the seventh iteration of the European Union Film Festival drew to a close on Monday at the Nepal Tourism Board, in Kathmandu.

The first day of the fest, on Saturday, saw the screening of four films—My Pure Land, Berlin Babylon, Tiger Theory and Defenders of Riga. The screenings were also followed by brief notes presented on the films by filmmakers.

Speaking after the screening of My Pure Land, Nepali filmmaker Parasar Wagle talked about how the film, which is based on a real story, could be a guide to aspiring Nepali filmmakers to pursue similar motifs in Nepal as well.

Directed by Sarmad Masud, My Pure Land tells the story of a young woman and her family’s unflinching quest to defend their home from a large group of armed men.

“I think it might be difficult for Western audiences to comprehend the context, magnitude and importance of our film and the significance of what the real Nazo (the protagonist) did,” the director Masud has said, “There are still some parts of Pakistan where girls are killed at birth, parts of Pakistan where girls are not allowed to go out of the house alone, or go to school, or choose who they marry, and yet here we have a strong, brave, proud Pakistani woman throwing all those conventions right out of the window.”

Likewise, Berlin Babylon documented Germany in the latter half of the nineties, during which the construction boom that started after the fall of the Berlin wall had reached its peak.

Another notable film of the fest, Taranta on the Road, tells the story of two illegal immigrants from North Africa to Italy and how a group of musicians help them navigate Italy and reach Paris.

The final day of the fest saw screenings of two anthology of Finnish Shorts, Atelier Luxembourg and Gazing into the Distance.

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